Legend of Korra: Book 5 - Evolution
by CDMoraila
Summary: Set nearly six weeks after the finale, Team Avatar is ready to begin restoring Republic City with the help of Asami's childhood friend, now business partner. The group will have to juggle the restoration with the new friend's trials and tribulations, and a new villain's thrill for hunting. - Written as the next season with slightly more focus on OC w/o ignoring canon development.
1. Chapter 1 - Catching Up

Disclaimer: Of course I do not own any piece of the Avatar: TLA or Legend of Korra franchises. I merely have too much time to waste and an empty feeling since last December.

About my writing style for this story:

For the most, I have always written the way I speak. So my sentence structure may be a bit strange.

Second, when I read, I have a movie playing in my head and I write to describe what I see in my head. Which is how, I FEEL, I structured this story.

Thirdly, this is my first attempt and writing anything for enjoyment, and I don't read a lot. Odds are it will suck, the first chapter may seem very slow, as if nothing is going on, but I am trying to establish an OC into this universe and trying to write the canon characters as well as I believe I understand them. Shit will pick up.

Fourth, I am setting this a couple months after the finale. Korra and Asami went on their impromptu spirit world vacation for like a week before realizing that it was time to get shit fixed. I did enjoy the Korrasami ending to Book 4 and am aware that Bryke confirmed it as canon. It was a beautiful ending to my favorite show of all time, but I will not focus heavily, or maybe even at all, on Korrasami. Nothing against it, but I have tried brainstorming and I just don't know how to write for a gay couple, so 'really good friends' is what I'm leaving it at. As awesome as it is that I finally know of a lesbian couple on TV that doesn't involve buzz cuts and flannel shirts, I just don't live in that world.

Fifth, I also won't be focusing to strongly on relationships that don't already exist unless I find a way to make it work organically. (i.e. Opal and Bolin / Kai and Jinora are established enough in my book to mention it somewhere, if the story permits. Old relationships issues between Mako and Korra, or Mako and Asami, or anything else that happened in the canon may come up if I can think of a way to include it organically because again, it's been established). I may even try to set my OC up with someone. Who knows? I certainly don't. I am trying to set up plot points in advance before writing a chapter, but for the most part I'm just riding this shit out with the rest of you. There are plenty of other writers that do shipping well. Check one of them out.

Sixth, please let me know if/when you think I fucked something up with either the plot or the characters. If I feel you have a point or a good idea, I may write you back with a thank you and a point of edit. If I feel I got it right, I'll still consider your comment to see if it would have worked.

Some of my favorite parts in Legend of Korra were the 'Daily Life' parts. The social moments where people were kind of just hanging out and doing regular LOK universe stuff and living life were very interesting to me, as you will see in the first, (maybe first few) chapter(s). I do want to structure this entire story arc like a brand new season with a plot, villain, and all the personal growth while not ignoring that team Avatar is between the ages of 20-23 in a booming time.

It may help to read this story like a screenplay, I THINK. If I were a better writer, I would have you play a beautifully crafted episode of LOK in your head the way I see it, but I can't.

I appreciate any reviews or comments.

Thank you for checking out my drivel, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1

"Catching Up"

**We find our story beginning, geographically, on the west coast of the United Republic of Nations. More specifically, in the conference room of a large banquet hall**

"… With the use of my family's company's resources, combined with those of Ms. Sato's Future Industries, and through the will of its citizens, we will cease Republic City's suffering brought on by the former Earth Empire's attacks nearly two months ago. We are past the point of relief aid and are ready to forge a _new_ Republic City. It will not be easy by any means, but our efforts will be historic as we draft the next chapter of the most advanced city the world has ever known." _***Small applause break*** _ "I'd like to thank Ms. Sato and Avatar Korra for joining me this evening and for allowing me to finally take Project: Republic Expansion, public. Thank you all and have a wonderful evening." He walked away from the podium with cameras flashing and a horde of reporters calling out his and Asami's name for a chance to get an extra word.

"Mr. Kenju and Ms. Sato will not be answering any more questions this evening. Please have your passes ready if you plan to cover tonight's festivities," said his assistant.

"Come on, this way." He said and gestured to Asami and Korra as they made it down the stairs and through the back door. The three of them walked down the corridor, the kind used to get VIP's through the building quickly. They needed to make their way to the main dining hall now, and just as they made it down the last stretch, Korra felt the need to give the guy the old punch-above-the-shoulder-blades gesture she uses for a job well done; and give one she did, and loud it was. He had slowed down his walking a bit so that he wouldn't risk bumping into anything as both of his hands clasped into his short, black hair and dragged them downwards along his face and lower lip when out of no where…

"Nice speech our their." *THUMP* Said Korra mid-delivery to the left shoulder. "They really ate it up."

His relaxed demeanor immediately shifted to eyes wide-open with his lips clinched in his teeth, and a slight hunch forward while grabbing his shoulder. "Uggh! What the hell? Asami!" He yelled in surprise. "Why did the Avatar punch me?"

*THUMP* "My name is Korra." She followed with a look of annoyance.

"Aggh! Asami, why did Korra punch me, again?" He said with an obvious look of confusion and pain.

Trying to hold back a laugh, Asami looked at him and said, "That's just how she shows affection, and I agree. That was a great way to announce our plan to rebuild and expand Republic City."

"Hell of a way to show it," he said rubbing his shoulder. "Anyway, it's really great to see you again. What's it been, just under two years?"

"Yeah, it _has_ been a while." Asami replied as they continued forward.

A look of confusion set into Korra's face "Wait, I knew you two were good friends, but how long have you known each other?"

"Oh yeah, I never properly introduced you. Korra, this is Damo." Answered Asami. "We met when we were kids. Our fathers were in business together. We always hung out when we could but we haven't spoken in person like this in a while."

(Pronounced: Day-Mo (Like Moe's bar in The Simpsons))

"Nice to meet you, Damo." Korra extended a hand.

"Yeah, it is such an honor to finally meet you, Av- KORRA!" he corrected himself with a nervous laugh as they approached the back entrance to the main dining hall. Damo looked towards Asami and said, "Listen, why don't we head inside, you two give me a minute to get a couple thing situated, then you and I can catch up for a bit?"

"Sure thing, It'll be fun." Replied Asami as they walked through the double doors leading to the main hall.

Damo scanned the room to see if he could find his family when over the sound of leveled chatter and ambient music, a woman's voice caught his attention. "Damo! Honey. We've been waiting for ages. Come take this picture so we can get down from here," said the piercingly high-pitched voice.

"Yes, mother," he said with a sigh. "Be right their." Damo walked slowly to the podium with his head down as Korra and Asami laughed at his embarrassment. Damo took the picture and stepped of the podium and immediately went back to Korra and Asami standing in the corner and behind a pillar. They clearly did not want to be seen yet.

"So, yeah. We go way back." Damo assured to Korra. "Those were the only fun meetings my father ever brought me to. All we ever did was eat bad food, sleep, and fight. The fighting was not fun at all, for me anyway.

Asami interjected, "You should have seen our sparring matches. I used to kick Damo's butt all the time. We were both in self-defense classes growing up since neither of us are benders."

Damo continued, "I was never a good fighter, but Asami relished in the fact that she could throw me through a window whenever she wanted. But those are the old days. Now Asami runs her own company and I head up an entire division for my father. I guess we never really could escape our old man's influence."

Asami's cheerful look of nostalgia disappeared as she looked down and away sadly. Damo hadn't seen his friend in a long time, but never had trouble reading her. He followed his realization with a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly to her. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened to your father. From what you told me in your letters, it seems you two never really got to enjoy your time together after making amends. Regardless, Hiroshi was a hero in the end, he _will_ be remembered for his sacrifice."

Asami look at him appreciatively, "Thanks Damo. I really needed to hear that."

"… And you're friends with the Avatar, how cool it that?" Damo boasted, now looking at both of them. "I'm such a huge fan of what you two have been doing with your team. I've followed all of your adventures in the papers. The ProBending, the Equalist stuff, the uh, the civil war in the south, it all sounded so exciting." He turned to Korra. "Whatever did happen after President Raiko kicked you out of Republic City? I heard you got hurt while looking for new airbenders."

Korra had been asked to keep the events with the Red Lotus a secret by Raiko and Tenzin. If word had gotten out that Korra was vulnerable for those three years, the Red Lotus might have tried to attack again. She looked away nervously, trying desperately to come up with some kind of excuse, "Oh, uh, yeah. Umm, I had some, Avatar-ish stuff I needed to deal with for a little while. Very spiritual, and important, yes, very important. Harmonic Convergence really threw my Avatar energy out of wack and I uh, needed to spend some with Master Katara."

"Oh, jeez. Well I'm glad you were able to recover. I can't imagine how frightening that giant, metal monster that attacked Republic City was." Damo paused for a second and let out an exasperated breath. "I really need to get out and see the world."

Asami looked at Damo, sensing a deep sadness inside him. "You've got the means, why not move somewhere you actually want to live?"

"I can't just _leave_. My family is here, my company division is here, I don't see how I can leave all of that behind." Damo pleaded.

"I'm not saying _leave_ the company, I'm saying that the idea of relocation is not a new thing." Asami reinforced.

Korra added to the wavering decision. "You can't be afraid to live your life just to satisfy a few people. I would have never made it to Republic City or met Mako, Bolin, and Asami if I didn't leave the South Pole."

"Wow, that _is_ a good point. Where are your Earthbender and Firebender friends, by the way?" asked Damo sheepishly, noticing Korra's reaction to the diversion.

"Mako and Bolin?" answered Asami. "We brought them along for the trip but I wouldn't dare bring them here. Don't get me wrong, they're the greatest and fun to be around with, but you bring _them_ as your guests and put them in a room full of financial contributors and stockholders and your going to either scare them off or they're going to lose confidence in the company you keep. Believe me when I say, 'I've done my homework'."

Damo chuckled and asked, "Wow, I never would have guessed. So did you leave them back at your hotel?"

Placing her finger to her chin and looking up Asami, thought about it before answering, "I think they went out to see some sort of local sporting event."

"Oh yeah," reassured Korra. " They went to see some fighting tournament. It's really picking a lot of heat all across the United Republic. I think they were trying to expand to Republic City but President Raiko is having no part of that until Republic City's restoration is well underway. I even heard that there's an airbender fighting tonight."

"An airbender in a fighting tournament? I would definitely like to see that, sounds exciting." Said Damo, immediately noticing a towering figure standing behind him.

"What sounds exciting, Damo?" said the assertive and strong voice behind him.

"Oh nothing, father." Replied a startled Damo.

Korra and Asami looked at each other with confusion at the combination of "Father" and the look of fear in Damo's eyes.

"I hope you weren't going about those garbage fighting tournaments again. You know how I feel about you wanting to waste money attending that poor excuse for a 'sport'." Reassured his father still standing behind him while placing his large hands on his shoulders. Damo stood silent with raised and tense shoulders. Mr. Kenju scanned both of the women standing in front of Damo for a few seconds then spoke. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your – Ms. Sato? Is that you, young lady?"

"Yes Mr. Kenju, It's me." She replied with a charming laugh underneath.

"It's very good to see you. It's been ages, hasn't it?" Said a very delighted Mr. Kenju, and before Asami could finish replying he asked, "How _is_ your father doing?"

"Uh, Father?" Damo addressed his father under a fake cough. "Maybe you shouldn't bring up –"

"Nonsense, Hiroshi and I were very good friends back in the day." Cheered Mr. Kenju disregardingly. "Well, Ms. Sato?"

Asami replied softly, holding back both anger and anguish. "He died almost two months ago." Mr. Kenju's grip tightened over Damo's shoulder.

"You don't say, I'm-I'm sorry to hear that. Said Mr. Kenju with a slight stutter and a tone of disappointment." Take a note, Damo. Hiroshi built his empire from the ground, up, with out a single bit of bending at his disposal. 'Don't ever let anyone tell you you're no better than any bender' - he used to say that to you all the time."

Asami's stare became a bit darker and with a heavier and louder tone, addressed Mr. Kenju. "He was also in prison for over 3 years for aiding terrorists that were trying to eradicate bending in Republic City."

Asami and Mr. Kenju stared at each other for ten long, aggravating seconds before Korra extended out a handshake to ease the moment. "Hello Mr. Kenju, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm –."

"I'm well aware of who you are, Avatar." Interrupted Mr. Kenju without breaking eye contact with Asami. "Welcome to my banquet." He said, now looking at Korra, in a very clearly unwelcoming tone. Now speaking to his son, "I'll be addressing the guests later this evening, Damo. I hope you don't run off again this time."

"I'll try my best, father." Damo replied softly while looking over his shoulder at him.

"Enjoy yourselves, Ms. Sato, Avatar Korra." Said Mr. Kenju coldly as he walked away.

"Charming," added Korra with strong sarcasm. She was clearly bothered by his tone and how insincere he was towards Asami.

"Oh, man. I'm really sorry about him, he's always kind of had it out for anything having to do with bending, let alone the Avatar. I think it has something to do with something that happened to him as a kid, but it's still no excuse for how he spoke to you." He explained with great remorse and embarrassment. He had just met the Avatar and was mortified. He wanted nothing more than to establish a friendship with his favorite celebrity. Did his father just ruin his only chance?

"Don't worry about it," replied an uplifting Korra, "I stared down Amon and a small army of Equalists. Not to mention Raiko and the press. Your father was a cake walk compared to them." The stress of the situation had left Damo's body.

Time passed as Damo, Asami and Korra chatted about team Avatar's adventures, how she and Asami met, and a few things about the aftermath of the attack on Republic City. When he got a chance, Damo took a quick glance at his gold pocket watch. It read ten minutes to nine. He would have hated to leave the party early, but he had other arrangements lined up. He needed to leave soon. The angst in his heart was heavy, but he knew this was not his last chance to see Asami and Korra.

"Listen, Asami it was really great catching up with you again, and Korra, I could ask you about your adventure for hours, it has really been an honor and a pleasure speaking to you, but I do have to turn in for the night." Damo said with a clear tone of regret in his voice.

"So soon?" Asami said disappointedly.

"But your father hasn't even spoken yet." Added Korra.

"I know, but I have an appointment somewhere and there will be hell to pay if I don't keep it. I hope you two understand." Damo said, then, in an uplifting and excited tone, made a suggestion, "But I'll tell you what, let me take you two and your friends to breakfast tomorrow morning. We'll get properly introduced and we can hang out without all the pomp and circumstance of a banquet with tight suits and flowing dresses. Then I will personally see you guys off when you leave for republic city. Sound good?"

"Sounds great." Said both girls in unison. Followed by a laugh by all three.

"Alright, perfect," said Damo excitedly, "I'll send my driver over to your hotel tomorrow morning say, 8:30?"

"Fine by me." Assured Asami, then with a sincerely concerned tone, looked to her right. "Korra? I know you hate mornings."

"I'll be fine." Yelled Korra defensively. Then gathering herself, "Besides, my crankiness usually wares off by nine o'clock anyways."

"Oh, and you two don't have to stick around either. I would hate for you two to have to deal with all the… I don't even know what to call it, really. This high society atmosphere never really did sit well with me. I'm sure no one would mind. They're all to busy comparing clothing and critiquing the hors d'oeuvres." Damo said as he left. "See you tomorrow, ladies". Then he hurried off through the back door they had all came through earlier.

Asami said goodnight to Damo. Korra threw in a 'Nice to meet you'.

"Nice guy." Said Korra trying to continue some sort of conversation. "He's not like his dad is he?"

"No, of course not. They've always been complete opposites with their political views. He seemed really tense when his father came around, especially with the fighting tournament thing." Continued Asami.

"Yeah, wonder what that was all about."

Damo hurried off down the hidden corridor they came through earlier and took the elevator to another dining hall that was not being used. Everything was as he had planned. He made his way to one of the open balconies. He looked down below, looked over his shoulder, looked again down below, and jumped strait down from the fourth floor, utilizing a concentrated gust of wind shot from his feet to ease his fall and ending it with a tuck and roll. He was finally free.

A couple of minutes passed after Damo took his leave and the two ladies started scanning the room with drinks in their hands, trying to find something interesting, but thinking to themselves.

*_Those eggs look good* - Korra_

_*This is a pretty big room* - Asami_

_*What's that smell? I showered this morning, right?* - Korra_

_*Really? Your wearing that dress with those shoes?* - Asami_

Korra turned to Asami, both with stares of boredom and without breaking that stare, Korra asked, "Wanna catch that airbender fight?"

Asami, without a hesitation, keeping that same blank stare says, "I'll drive."

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2 - That Fighting Airbender

Thanks to everyone who read my first chapter. I appreciate the comments, too.

This chapter was especially difficult to write, as it was crucial in setting up MANY things for the future. I had to do a lot of research and try many different things to get this going in the direction I want it to go, or hope it goes.

If anything was left unclear, please ask.

If my chapters are too long, too much going on, not enough detail, or anything else about how I write, please let me know. Just know that everything I add to the story serves a purpose.

I don't own the Legend of Korra series or Avatar: TLA.

Blah blah blah, more legal shit, blah blah blah.

One update a week seems do-able and I will try to make that my timetable, but I want to allow myself some wiggle room. Some chapters WILL take longer, some may be done sooner, we'll see.

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2

"That Fighting Airbender"

Damo had fulfilled his obligation to the company with an appearance at the banquet, but his evening was far from over. Yeah, he had finally reunited with Asami after almost 2 years, and it took all he had to not geek out when he finally met the Avatar, but this next part of his evening had been in the books for a long time.

He would have to get over his feelings of regret for leaving early if he had any chance of getting through the night. Damo had only an hour to get to his destination that was at least fifty minutes away. He couldn't afford to be late.

His destination came into view. Anyone within a few miles could see this place. There was definitely something happening this evening, not only that but it's already started.

He raced his satomobile down a side road to a checkpoint that only allowed those with clearance to get through. He had been through plenty of times, but still followed the same routine.

"Hey, man how's it going?" asked Damo as he handed security his building I.D.

"How's it going?" yelled the shocked security guard. "You're late! I hope they haven't disqualified you. The third match just ended and I got money on you in three rounds. Go already, go."

*Authorized Personnel and Registered Guest Parking Only*

That's where he needed to go next. Damo found his way into the arena's underground parking lot, grabbed his gym bag and booked it inside. Through the downstairs entrance, down the hall, up the elevator, left, strait through a door and one right, he had found the gym.

As soon as he got in the locker room, one of his friends called out to him. "Cardam! What the hell, man? You got about 7 minutes until you forfeit the match. Coach has been stalling outside forever now. You should have seen him." - "I'm going to bury that kid in quicksand, head first, then when he finally stops squirming I'm going to run his ass through PT until he throws up his dinner from last month!" said his friend mimicking the coach.

"I know, I'm sorry. I got held up at work a little longer than I had hoped. Just let coach know I'm on my way up," he said as he sat down on the bench and changed into his uniform comprising of flexible combat style pants, footwear, fighter's gloves, and a helmet similar to the Probending regulation helmet, but with no face shield and no shirt.

His friend reached for the radio microphone. "He's gonna kill you, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. Hand me my mask would ya?" Cardam replied. Coach's threats were never to be taken lightly, but now was not the time.

"Hey coach. Yeah. Yeah, he's here. Yes, I mentioned the quicksand. Mhmm, yep, last month's dinner, yeah, he's going up now. Okay." He hung up the receiver and stared back at him. "You better be careful, I hear this firebender from down south is a rough deal. He's won his last four matches in three rounds or less. They say his weapon is crazy powerful." Said Cardam's friend, trying to get him at least a little concerned for the fight.

"I'll be fine. I doubt he's ever fought anyone like me. And don't forget, I got a new weapon, myself." Cardam replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, you have to be the only airbender in the entire Elemental Combat League, probably the only airbender in the world that fights like you do. Don't over do it again, huh? Were running low on the muscle ointment. It's pretty expensive stuff from what coach tells me." Said his friend as he handed Cardam his cover.

"Don't worry about it too much, I can cover it." Said Cardam, stretching the mask over his head.

"Why do you wear that thing? Doesn't it get in the way?" Beckoned his friend.

"Nah, it only covers up to my nose. Plus it helps keep my face looking pretty. Can't pick up fan girls with cuts and bruises all over my mug." He said in amusement. Hiding the fact that without the mask, he would be recognized in the papers. His father disapproved of many things, but involvement in the ECL was higher on the list than murder. "I'll see you after the match. We'll go get a drink or something."

"Sure, but you're buying." his friend said reassuringly. "Good luck out there."

"How did our boys do so far?" said Cardam while closing the elevator gate.

"Let's see. San-Hi won the first match. Bahnu won the second. And I think Hyun lost in the fourth round. He's in the infirmary, but he'll be fine after a few days rest. Good luck up there."

Cardam [Damo, if you haven't figured it out yet] gave him a wave as he walked into the lift.

As the lift took him up, he prepared himself for the battle. Stretches, lunges, squats, push-ups, anything he could do to get limbered up. He took a deep breath in, big release, deep breath in, and a big release. He did this many times before every training session and every sparring match as a way to get loose mentally. When it came to real matches, however, he focused on the serenity of the air he drew rather than the quantity.

He never imagined how pure the air could taste until he became an airbender. It allowed him to tap into something he could never sense before. Something he couldn't see, but it clung to every inch of his body.

Sound was clearer. His body felt lighter. Breezes used to just lightly hit his body, but now he felt energies shifting around him. Even breathing used to be something he only did subconsciously and for recovery from physical stress, but now it was giving his body a deep cleansing. It was always the best way to relax.

His eyes were shut and he let his mind wander, drifting further and further into his subconscious with each draw. He began flowing through some of his more tranquil memories, he eventually found the time he discovered he was an airbender.

* * *

*Flashback, about 3 years – Roughly 3 weeks after Harmonic Convergence*

Damo was walking through a forest at night. He couldn't help but notice the colors of the grass, trees, and flowers. They were shades of colors he had never seen before. The plant life was a strange compilation of greens mixed with purples, there were ambient shades of light peaking through the tree's branches and leafs, and a very faint, but noticeable scent in the air.

"_Is that, tea?_" It smelled, earthy, but heavenly. It was very familiar to him, but there was a bit of lightness to it. He followed the scent through the forest until he arrived at a tree that glowed just a little bit brighter than the rest. The scent was coming from that tree, no doubt about it. A figure began to appear from the other side of the tree. '_It was, a man?'_ He thought to himself. An old man with long robes and a white beard gestured to Damo. He wanted to say something.

"Hello there, stranger." Said the cheerful voice. "Are you lost?"

"I don't know. I don't recognize this place, but I don't exactly feel_ lost_, either." Damo replied still hunting for the scent. "Do you smell that? It smells a lot like–"

"Ginseng?" Said the man, now presenting a small, white teapot to Damo. "Yes. It is my favorite."

A vague sound came from above the trees. It was hard to make out. *BEEP* "Mr. … 'ju? … Four o'clock … here."

"Wait. What?" Damo muttered to himself for a second while looking up in confusion.

The old man smiled, waved, and began walking away. "It seems your time here is over. What a shame. It was nice to meet you, young man." The man stopped for a second, turned his head and looked at Damo as if noticing something. He spoke to him with a serious tone this time: "You have many trials ahead of you, young man. I urge you to listen to your instincts, they are your greatest ally; however, they don't have to be your _only_ ally."

Damo looked at him dumbfounded. What a weird thing to say. The faint sound came back a little more clearly.

*BEEP* "Mr. Kenju? … Four o'clock … here."

The last *BEEP* finally got him to wake up in a panic. His breathing was heavy from the sudden jolt of waking up. He tried to gather himself quickly then noticed the drool that had collected on his desk and most of his left cheek.

"Mr. Kenju? Your four o'clock appointment is here." Said his assistant.

"Who – is it? Asked Damo out of breath.

"Marketing. They want to present the plan to push the new Snow Cycle units to the Water Tribes."

"I can't do it right now, please have them reschedule. You know what? Reschedule all of my appointments for the rest of the day." Confirmed Damo.

Damo stepped away from his desk and walked onto the balcony. He was still coming down from the sudden wake up. His heart was pounding loudly for some reason. He was at ease mentally, but his body wasn't.

A draft came over him outside, offering a soothing breeze to the face. He took this chance to get his breathing under control. With a single, deep breath, his heart calmed and the stress had left his body. It was strange to him. He felt like he was dying a second ago, and after one draw of air, he felt as good as new. He raised two fingers to his throat to take a pulse and then placed his hand over his chest. Everything _seemed_ okay.

Now looking directly ahead, having never really paid too much attention to it, noticed the view from his office was captivating. He knew he had a nice view, but it seemed different now, almost harmonious. The sound of car engines, the chatter from the streets below, the radio he had playing music in his office; he didn't just notice the sound, he almost felt it, literally. It felt like the sensation you get when someone is within inches of your body. They're not touching you or breathing on you, but you know something is there.

He closed his eyes and let his environment surround him. With every breath he took, the wind became stronger and stronger. He could hear the birds whistling and flapping their wings. He could hear the grass below shifting louder and louder. He opened his eyes and noticed his arms were bent out to his sides with his palms facing down. It took him five seconds of looking at the floor beneath him before he realized he wasn't touching it. He blinked a couple of times before noticing the light-spinning airstream underneath him supporting his body 2 feet in the air.

"Woah!" He yelled in panic, immediately landing on his back. "What – The –Fu…" he caught himself mid-sentence. Did anybody see that? No? Thank goodness, he'd hate to have to explain that to someone. He couldn't even explain it to himself.

Something he had read earlier worked his way back to the forefront of his attention. He stumbled back inside to his desk, shuffled through the stacks until he found a newspaper from earlier in the week in the trashcan. It mentioned Avatar Korra being kicked out of Republic City by President Raiko himself.

Skimming down the article hoping to find the right piece, Damo found a quote by Korra, reading: "Harmonic Convergence has shifted the planet's energy. I felt it then and I feel it now. I suspect that this shift is the reason for this morning's bridge incident. The man from the bridge is an airbender, a _new_ airbender. Even Avatar Aang's son, Bumi, began airbending this morning as well. Master Tenzin and I are planning an expedition through the Earth Kingdom to investigate other reports of airbenders popping up. This is happening. We _may_ even be able to rebuild the Air Nation because of this."

"_So that's what's going on._" Damo said to himself as a smile formed across his face. His light snickering grew to a joyful laugh. Finally something exciting is happening.

* * *

*Present – In the lift*

Damo released his breath again while giggling to himself, the feeling of nostalgia was too much to keep inside.

*SMACK* "What the hell are you laughing at? Do you have any idea how hard I'm going to work your ass in your next session?"

"Coach! Sorry, I had a thing I needed to take care of before I could come to the arena." Explained Damo, trying to justify his tardiness and rubbing his head.

"What? Another fancy party with a bunch of deep-pocketed Cabbage Slugs?"

"Yes." Damo admitted, but pleaded afterwards. "But the Avatar was there this time."

Coach sighed at his mentioning the Avatar, "NO EXCUSES! We'll talk about this later rich boy; now get your butt in the ring, and try not to KILL YOURSELF THIS TIME!"

* * *

(Dimensions of the fighting grounds: 120' W x 150' L; half of an American NFL Football field and a bit thinner)

* * *

*Cut to a luxury suite – mid-level seating of the arena*

* * *

"Mako hurry. They're about to bring up the next fight. I think this is the airbender everyone's been talking about." Shouted Bolin, who was in their sectioned-off luxury seating.

"Hey, I wouldn't be struggling over here if you would just come grab _your own_ fried Komodo Chicken." Answered Mako, both frustrated and juggling a tray full of food.

"You would think that with the money Asami put up for these tickets that they would include a waiter or something." Added Bolin.

"It would make this a lot easi–"

"Shut up, shut up, it's starting!" interrupted Bolin excitedly.

"Here's your food, now move over." Said Mako, handing Bolin a stacked platter of assorted meats.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Yelled the announcer. "We are now ready to begin the 4th match of tonight's tournament. To my left, in the red uniform, coming in at six-foot-one, one hundred seventy-six pounds. Just off of his fifth consecutive victory, the fiercest firebending combatant from the southern district, give it up for: Valtar!"

The crowds gave a typical reaction for a visiting fighter, about 35% cheers overpowered by 65% boos.

The announcer continued, "And to my right, coming in at six feet, one-hundred-seventy-four pounds, in the gray uniform, your favorite masked airbender from your very own western district, Cardam!" It was clear from the crowd's reaction who the favorite was. The two fighters approached the center.

"Alright men, you two know the rules: Six individual three-minute rounds, a fighter gets knocked unconscious, or the officials intervene; whichever comes first. Strikes to the head are permitted, but bending headshots are illegal. Rounds one and two allow bending elements in their natural states only. Rounds three through six allow all forms of bending. First signs of lethal force caught by the officials and you will forfeit the match. Please touch gloves and move back to your respective starting points."

As was customary for a fighter in the ECL, they raised a right fist to each other, surrounding their gloves with their respective elements and connecting them together. A ball of fire surrounded one hand, and a spiraling stream of air flowed around the other.

"Ooooh, this is gonna be gooooood." Cheered Bolin while turning up the volume on the speakers placed around their section.

"What's gonna be good?" Said the voice coming into range.

"Asami? And Korra? Mako said surprisingly. "What are you two doing here? Didn't you have some big to-do with your old friend?"

"Yeah, but he had something he needed to take care of, so we left not long after he did." Asami replied.

"The fighting tournament came up and we decided to come check it out." Korra added. "I hope we didn't miss the airbender fight."

Mako gestured to the center of the arena where the two fighters were moving to their spots. "It's about to start. You got here just in time. So did the airbender, actually. He wouldn't enter the ring for some reason and almost lost the match by default."

"Why is he wearing a mask?" Korra asked.

The brothers couldn't do anything but raise their shoulders.

Korra hopped over the safety rail, planted herself next to Bolin and grabbed one of his Komodo Chickens. "This ought to be good." Referencing both the fried bird on a stick and the fight to come. Bolin, with face stuffed, gave Korra the _'REALLY?'_ stare. Asami sat herself next to Mako and helped herself to his bowl of purple berries, he happily obliged.

"Lets have a clean fight, boys. We wouldn't want to disappoint our guest of honor now, would we? He's looking at you specifically, airbender." Said the announcer as the center-stage elevator took him out of harms way.

*PING* - The bell was struck, the match began, and the crowd went nuts.

Valtar shot first.

Cardam leaped into the air, dodged the fireball and threw a force of wind with a punch.

Valtar tucked and rolled to his left, and shot at the spot where Cardam was set to land.

Cardam picked up on the intent and threw both of his arms down and boosted himself over the flames. Still spinning forwards in the air, he tucked his legs together and extended them both, pushing himself backwards and striking Valtar in the chest.

Valtar's feet dragged as his body withstood the blast.

Both fighters, now standing in anticipation of the other's attacks, took boxing stances and threw barrages of punches at each other with their elements.

They tucked, weaved, spun, and flipped around the other's elements while launching their own attacks right and left.

Valtar landed a hit to the left arm and one to the stomach.

Cardam landed another hit to the chest and one to each shoulder.

The fighters never took their eyes off of each other for more than a second. Loosing sight of your opponent was dangerous in this game, and they both knew it.

As the two continued pummeling each other, Korra turned to all three people to her left and asked, "What was that thing about a 'Guest of honor'?"

"Shum guy ish hurr, I gesh he'sh a big shot in thish shport." Bolin struggled to say as he scarfed down his snack.

Mako elbowed Bolin in the left shoulder. "He's the commissioner of this sport, the guy said it like an hour ago. How do you forget that?" Bolin, mouth full, shrugged his shoulders. It didn't seem like a big deal to him.

They focused back on the fight.

Cardam put some more distance between himself and Valtar, throwing himself back with a horizontal wave of wind to overpower the vertical fire pillar Valtar just threw.

Valtar shot fire from his feet as a boost to jump forward over the wave and released a kick combo.

Cardam dodged the first but was struck on the back by the second, plunging him back from the force of the blast.

The fighters drew closer to each other with every attack until the only option was attack the body directly.

Kicks were flying, punches were thrown, and elements collided. The fighters moved with great dexterity.

They glided around each other bodies as if it were choreographed, but eventually, Valtar got the better of Cardam; knocking him back a few yards with a fire-enhanced kick swung to the left side of his body.

Cardam forced himself to his feet. The sting of blast was lingering, but he could tolerate it for a bit longer.

The ten-second signal sounded off. Cardam began waving his arms together and rotating his body, quickly gathering and guiding a strong airstream around himself. Now collected around his right arm, he lifted his left leg, stepped forward and pitched a powerful, streamed vortex to strike Valtar's mid section.

Valtar launched his own blast in defense but did not spend as much time building it. The collision of the two forces caused Cardam's stream to deviate slightly downwards from course and hit the ground before Valtar, knocking him back against the wall. He definitely felt that one.

*PING*

"End of the first round!"

The crowd roared at the excitement of the first round. Both fighters displayed a kind of finesse in the arena, and both showed a thirst for victory. The round could have gone to either one of them. They gathered themselves and walked to their coaches and crew.

Valtar had to replace his helmet after the last attack and had his team nurse quite a few welts.

Cardam had his own problems. Lethal force or not, it was going to take a good waterbender to get rid of the light scorch marks on his skin.

"What do you guys think of the airbender?" Asami asked her three friends.

Korra sat there reviewing what she just saw. Her focus was dead set on Cardam, who knows what was going on her head.

"This guy's an animal!" Bolin answered. "His strikes are hard and he moves around a lot. He'd be a pretty good Probender if they had and airbender option."

Korra hadn't moved and inch, Mako noticed. "What's the matter, Korra?

"Hmm? Oh, nothing." She never stopped looking at Cardam with a perplexed expression. "It's just that – well, he's airbending, no doubt about that, but he doesn't move a whole lot like an airbender. There are some similarities, but I can't put my finger on it. Actually, it reminds me a lot of…"

"Firebending?" Interjected Mako.

"Yeah." Korra confirmed as it clicked in her head.

"Well, he better adjust his game plan if he wants to win this fight. He's not going to out firebend a firebender," Added Mako, now looking at the fighters returning to starting points.

The fighter's approached their starting points

"Round 2!"

*PING*

Cardam wasted no time charging in. He was going to take the direct approach this time.

Valtar met his resolve head on. Firebenders were among the best in close quarter combat, it was a specialty for Valtar. The ability to generate fire without having to draw from an outside source made his attacks faster and more consistent.

Cardam did not make it easy for Valtar, but it was all he could do to not get singed after every strike.

The direct approach was not working. Cardam needed to fight steadily until the round was over. He trained hard to build up his stamina to strong levels, but it was far from limitless, and not something he could afford to waste with two minutes on the clock.

Valtar tried to resume the close-combat plan but couldn't get close enough to land any hits. Cardam fled from every charge made against him; floating backwards, side-to-side, and against the boundaries of the fighting grounds.

His plan was to tire Valtar out and keep him off balance with an air blast here and there.

"That's more like it." Said Korra. "He's fighting a little more like an airbender. Just let the guy tire himself out."

"Boo! No dodging!" Bolin yelled out from his seat. "Get in their and fight!" *Thump* "Ow! What was that for?"

"Don't boo him, it's a good fighting strategy for an airbender." Said Korra still holding her fist to Bolin, daring him to boo again.

"Well, _I_ – bought this ticket downstairs," Bolin raised the betting slip, "And if he wins, I can get Opal and Pabu these customized matching sweaters I saw in a store earlier. It's pretty expensive, but they have this new thing where they let you put a picture of yourself on the front with some words. It's adorable."

"Can I see that ticket, Bolin?" Asked Asami as she reached over Mako to get it.

Mako looked at the ticket Asami was holding and his eyes widened. "Where did you get the kind of money to be gambling like that?"

"Varrick." Assured Bolin. "Yeah, apparently I have these things called royals from my Nuktuk movers. We didn't see much of each other for a while and Kuvira had us in different departments most of the time. I guess he forgot to mention it to me until after the wedding. So I had ton of merchandise and picture sales money saved up in a side account I didn't even know about."

"Those are called 'Royalties', bro, and you shouldn't be spending money so frivolously." Mako turned to Asami. "Can you believe him? After all those years struggling, _now_ he's _gambling_ his money away?"

Asami didn't even hear Mako. Her eyes were locked on that ticket, more specifically, the name on the ticket. Cardam. Why did that remind her of something?

*PING*

"End of the second round!"

"Asami? Did you hear wha–"

"Mako," interrupted Asami, "Can you hand me the fight program?"

Mako obliged. Asami began skimming through the papers until she found the forth-round fighters and skimmed down Cardam's stats and descriptions. A few things stood out to her.

_**Name: Cardam _**_

Record: 4W – 1L – 1D

_**Element: Air**_

Height: 72 in.

Weight: 174 lbs.

_**Age: 22**_

_**Hair: Black**_

_**Eyes: Brown**_

_**Nationality/ Home Town: United Republic of Nations, Gaipan City**_

"But, he's not a bender." Asami whispered to herself. Come to think of it, _a lot_ of people couldn't bend either, not so long ago.

The Arena began to rumble just enough for Asami to break her silence. "What's going on?"

"They're getting ready for the third round. This is when the fighters _really_ go at it. It gets a little more dangerous so they raise another panel of safety glass for the audience." Explained Mako.

"Does it really get that bad?" Asked Korra.

"Oh yeah. Once the third round starts, its nothing but ice, metal, and lightning flying around. They also give them the choice of one weapon to use with their bending. It's all here in this rule book." Added Bolin while handing the book over to Korra.

"What do you think the airbender is going to fight with? There really isn't anything else _but_ air." Wondered Mako.

"Probably some kind of big fan or a staff or something." Said Korra. "Airbenders don't have many options when it comes to fighting."

"They let the fighters announce what they plan to use. There they go now." Bolin pointed center stage as the fighters walked towards each other with items in hand.

The announcer entered the center circle with the two fighters. "You've seen it a few times now, folks. Each bender will now announce their weapon of choice and a technique to use with it. We start with the visitor." He held the microphone in Valtar's direction.

Valtar stepped forward and held up his weapon of choice, "I will use my conductor rod, and my lightning."

"That's pretty smart." Said Asami. "With a conductor rod, he should be able to build a stronger charge and channel his lighting more accurately."

"That is smart." How'd you figure that out?" asked Mako.

"He's a firebender, and the rules say you can choose a weapon to use with your bending, right Korra?"

Korra skimmed the weapons section and replied "Yep, that's what it says."

"What about you, airbender?" The announcer moved the microphone to Cardam.

Cardam stepped forward and slipped something onto each hand. "I will use my Pulse Gloves…"

"His what?" Said Asami in surprise. The other three could only look at her. If Asami couldn't figure it out, what hope did the rest of them have? They leaned in to hear the second part.

Cardam continued, "… and my Soundbending."

All four of them stood up, squeezed their faces against each other and yelled in shock:

"HIS WHAT?!"


End file.
